Hi.

I am finally going to build my own surf rod.
I got a budget for this project.
The rod building book is on order.

I am looking for a 9' blank rated for 1 - 3 ozs.

Baston Enterprises has some nice Rainshadow blanks.
Has anyone had experiences (good or bad) with these blanks?

I looked into St. Croix blanks...none that satisfy my requirements.

Thank you in advance.

Start here (http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/showthread.php?t=23185) and then search the forums for SW1087 and SU1088 and you'll find lots of info.

the SW 1087 and the 1088 are great rods we sold 100s of each to guys on this board. For the money they are a great buy. I have seen lots of big fish taken on each of them

clueless and mikecc, THANK YOU! for the feedback. Much appreciated.

the SW 1087 and the 1088 are great rods we sold 100s of each to guys on this board. For the money they are a great buy. I have seen lots of big fish taken on each of them

Exactly - the Batson 1088 is probably the best budget all around custom rod you can use. Great blank!

Exactly - the Batson 1088 is probably the best budget all around custom rod you can use. Great blank! SW1088 or SU1088?

Would it be a good pick for tins and smaller jigs, say up to 2 oz, or would a SW1087 be a better choice?

The SW is a better all-around stick. The SU doesn't really handle under 2 oz all that well--it's a beast of a 9' rod. I should qualify that by saying that mine's an All Star 1088 but the SUs are suposed to be identical--designed by the same guy.

I'm no rod builder but I have a 1088 that I won in a raffle here a few years back and all I can say is that its one hell of a stick.By far my favorite rod in my collection.

there are still a few Allstar 1085/2 blanks in a shop in New Bedford, Mass available which I think fit the 1-3 ounce 9 foot stick quest better than the Rainshadow offerings. I have and use one all the time. 3 would absolutely be tops though IMHO.